Location

Rose Street, just off Sauchiehall Street; in other words, right in Glasgow city centre.

The building

Initially opened as the Cosmo Cinema, the distinctive, windowless building that now houses the GFT was designed by local architects James McKissack and WJ Anderson II; it officially opened for business on 18 May 1939. Built during the "leisure revolution" of the inter-war years, the Cosmo was the first purpose-built arts cinema in Scotland, and only the second in the UK (the Curzon Mayfair in London being the first). After lack of funding led to closure in 1973, the cinema was reopened and renamed in 1974 after being sold to the Scottish Film Council. The building is now B-listed and protected by Historic Scotland.

The clientele

Being based in the city centre, the GFT attracts a real mix of people, although it's probably fair to say students, arty types, and the retired make up the largest and most conspicuous cross-section on weekdays. Weekends, on the other hand, cater for a more varied crowd, with free family films and autism-friendly screenings on Saturdays.

The programme

Mostly arthouse, independent and foreign, with the occasional mainstream or cult classic thrown in. If there's an obscure film you've only just managed to track down on DVD and wish you'd seen at the cinema when it was released, the chances are the GFT will be showing it at some point.

guardian.co.uk

Further comments

The GFT is pretty much the perfect arts cinema, with a calm, cultural vibe and the kind of cafe that makes you feel proportionately more intellectual for every moment spent in it. It plays host to a variety of festivals and themed screenings throughout the year, which means there is always something interesting on the programme that you simply wouldn't find anywhere else. The screens are also licensed, which is a huge bonus – even if it increases the chances of those irritating mid-film trips to the bathroom.

Really, the only downside is the leg-room, which is distressingly tight if you are anything over the upper reaches of the five-foot range. Admittedly, this is a problem in many arts cinemas up and down the country, but the GFT seems to be particularly bad for it; watching something like the uncut version of Das Boot would be a genuine health risk. Say what you like about soulless multiplexes, but – by adequately catering for those of us with longer legs – they do usually get at least one thing right.

Putting this single criticism aside, however, the GFT is a genuinely fantastic cinema with an eclectic programme that is nigh on impossible to second-guess. It is also a registered charity; many of the staff are enthusiastic volunteers.